There are many solid chess openings but I'm going to show you the top ten most solid chess openings that there are. First maybe I should define a solid chess opening; a solid chess opening is a chess opening characterized by minimal risk taking and quiet positional play rather than sharp tactical lines. Solid positions in general tend to be very hard to crack and maybe hard for a beginner to recognize but an experienced chess player can tell right away whether or not a position is solid or tactical. Anyway here is a countdown of the most solid openings in chess.

10) King's Indian AttackMove order is not important but white will play:Nf3g3Bg20-0d3e4Nd2

The King's Indian Attack is an unusual opening in the fact that it is really called the same thing regardless of what black plays. Notice though how white sets up their pieces behind the lines very systematically and the setup really leaves white with no weaknesses although it isn't particularly ambitious. White will establish their solid structure after these moves and then play on the flanks. It isn't really considered a great opening but some very strong players like Bobby Fischer have played it with success so it isn't a terrible opening either.

The Guioco Pianissimo is a more solid variation of the Guioco Piano. It is really just an opening that is ideal for developing your pieces and not much else. There really is no way to create a strong attack right out of the opening because of the fact that white's most active piece, the bishop on c4 can be neutralized by Be6. Still this opening remains very popular with beginners because it is very natural and easy to memorize.

8) Nimzo-Indian Defense1. d4 Nf62. c4 e63. Nc3 Bb4

The Nimzo-Indian Defense is solid in concept. White's plan in playing Nc3 is to prepare e4 which could give white a serious advantage if they manage to do that so black prevents it by pinning the knight. After black exchanges their bishop for white's knight they have complete control over e4 which makes it very difficult for white to effectively get the ideal pawn center. The Nimzo is time tested and there is no way to completely refute this solid opening.

The Caro-Kann: Classical Variation leaves black with a solid pawn structure with no obvious weaknesses in it. This gives black an advantage in the endgame as his pawn structure is better than white's. In addition, black can play c5 at appropriate time, attacking white's d4 pawn and completely getting rid of his center. All of this gives black copious opportunities to equalize the game and this opening proves hard for white to maintain an advantage.

6) Caro-Kann: Advance Variation1. e4 c62. d4 d53. e5

The Caro-Kann: Advance Variation has a simple idea behind it. White pushes their pawn to gain space in the center. This however has a drawback and that drawback is that that move allows black to bring their bishop out to f5 and then play e6 leaving them with a super-solid fortress in the center without having to worry about a trapped bishop on c8. It is however considered playable for which and is actually thought to be one of the best continuations for them. Still you have to work hard to crack black's position.

The Cambridge Springs Variation is an open with a similar idea to the Nimzo. With the move Qa4 black both unpins the knight on f6 and gives themselves control over the d5 square where they can maybe place their knight later on. With the exception of the bishop on c8 all of black's pieces are either developed or will be shortly; black's dark squared bishop will come to b4 and put tremendous pressure on the knight.4) Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Slav Defense1. d4 d52. c4 e63. Nc3 Nf64. Nf3 c6

The idea behind the Semi-Slav Defense is to play dxc4 and then protect it with b5 which after the move c6 is now protected from the knight. Black's pawn structure in the Semi-Slav tends to be rather solid although white is always trying to undermine it. Just glancing at it you will notice the defined pawn barrier with the pawns c6, d5, and e6. The Semi-Slav Defense is a good opening choice, especially for players that like to win a pawn and then sit on it until the endgame.

You can tell that the Fort Knox Variation is solid just by hearing its name. It has all of the perks of the French Defense but without the eternal headache of the bishop on c8. Instead of having to deal with the development of the terrible bishop later on, black chooses to spend two tempi moving the bishop to the more productive c6 square. There are no weaknesses in black's position and white's lead in development means absolutely nothing so long as black doesn't waste any time. This is why the Fort Knox Variation comes in at number three.

2) Colle System1. d4 d52. Nf3 Nf63. e3 e64.Bd3 c55. c3

The Colle System is one of those openings that are very solid if your opponent plays into the system. Black can avoid this opening all together by playing g6 instead of e6 at move three and opt to go into a King's Indian formation. I have to say that this is a very fun opening to play because it is for players of all styles. Some may argue with me about that but this is so solid, just by glancing at it really, and yet some tactical brilliancies have come out of this opening.

The Stonewall Variation is the pinnacle of solid chess openings. Black's pawn structure on c6, d5, e6, and f5 is very rigid and so it is a double edge. On one hand, if black can manage to get c8 bishop active, which tends to be easier said than done, then white has a long road to getting a win. On the other hand, if black does not manage to get the bishop active then they are effectively playing a piece down and white will have a serious advantage. Black can really only hope to get an equal position but then they face the same challenges as white if they wish to play for a win.

To sum it all up, solid chess openings are good but not for everyone. If you don't mind playing positional chess then you should maybe try one of these openings but if you are a more tactical player then you should not try to suppress who you are. Play the openings that are best for you and don't listen to anyone that says that a particular opening is the best because it is all about the way that you play and the opening that some grandmaster may or may not play is irrelevant to your progress as a chess player. I hope this has helped you gain some insight on the kind of openings that solid chess players use. Good luck and I wish you well on your quest to become a better chess player.

stuart41088 wrote:There are many solid chess openings but I'm going to show you the top ten most solid chess openings that there are. First maybe I should define a solid chess opening; a solid chess opening is a chess opening characterized by minimal risk taking and quiet positional play rather than sharp tactical lines. Solid positions in general tend to be very hard to crack and maybe hard for a beginner to recognize but an experienced chess player can tell right away whether or not a position is solid or tactical. Anyway here is a countdown of the most solid openings in chess.

10) King's Indian AttackMove order is not important but white will play:Nf3g3Bg20-0d3e4Nd2

The King's Indian Attack is an unusual opening in the fact that it is really called the same thing regardless of what black plays. Notice though how white sets up their pieces behind the lines very systematically and the setup really leaves white with no weaknesses although it isn't particularly ambitious. White will establish their solid structure after these moves and then play on the flanks. It isn't really considered a great opening but some very strong players like Bobby Fischer have played it with success so it isn't a terrible opening either.

The Guioco Pianissimo is a more solid variation of the Guioco Piano. It is really just an opening that is ideal for developing your pieces and not much else. There really is no way to create a strong attack right out of the opening because of the fact that white's most active piece, the bishop on c4 can be neutralized by Be6. Still this opening remains very popular with beginners because it is very natural and easy to memorize.

8) Nimzo-Indian Defense1. d4 Nf62. c4 e63. Nc3 Bb4

The Nimzo-Indian Defense is solid in concept. White's plan in playing Nc3 is to prepare e4 which could give white a serious advantage if they manage to do that so black prevents it by pinning the knight. After black exchanges their bishop for white's knight they have complete control over e4 which makes it very difficult for white to effectively get the ideal pawn center. The Nimzo is time tested and there is no way to completely refute this solid opening.

The Caro-Kann: Classical Variation leaves black with a solid pawn structure with no obvious weaknesses in it. This gives black an advantage in the endgame as his pawn structure is better than white's. In addition, black can play c5 at appropriate time, attacking white's d4 pawn and completely getting rid of his center. All of this gives black copious opportunities to equalize the game and this opening proves hard for white to maintain an advantage.

6) Caro-Kann: Advance Variation1. e4 c62. d4 d53. e5

The Caro-Kann: Advance Variation has a simple idea behind it. White pushes their pawn to gain space in the center. This however has a drawback and that drawback is that that move allows black to bring their bishop out to f5 and then play e6 leaving them with a super-solid fortress in the center without having to worry about a trapped bishop on c8. It is however considered playable for which and is actually thought to be one of the best continuations for them. Still you have to work hard to crack black's position.

The Cambridge Springs Variation is an open with a similar idea to the Nimzo. With the move Qa4 black both unpins the knight on f6 and gives themselves control over the d5 square where they can maybe place their knight later on. With the exception of the bishop on c8 all of black's pieces are either developed or will be shortly; black's dark squared bishop will come to b4 and put tremendous pressure on the knight.4) Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Slav Defense1. d4 d52. c4 e63. Nc3 Nf64. Nf3 c6

The idea behind the Semi-Slav Defense is to play dxc4 and then protect it with b5 which after the move c6 is now protected from the knight. Black's pawn structure in the Semi-Slav tends to be rather solid although white is always trying to undermine it. Just glancing at it you will notice the defined pawn barrier with the pawns c6, d5, and e6. The Semi-Slav Defense is a good opening choice, especially for players that like to win a pawn and then sit on it until the endgame.

You can tell that the Fort Knox Variation is solid just by hearing its name. It has all of the perks of the French Defense but without the eternal headache of the bishop on c8. Instead of having to deal with the development of the terrible bishop later on, black chooses to spend two tempi moving the bishop to the more productive c6 square. There are no weaknesses in black's position and white's lead in development means absolutely nothing so long as black doesn't waste any time. This is why the Fort Knox Variation comes in at number three.

2) Colle System1. d4 d52. Nf3 Nf63. e3 e64.Bd3 c55. c3

The Colle System is one of those openings that are very solid if your opponent plays into the system. Black can avoid this opening all together by playing g6 instead of e6 at move three and opt to go into a King's Indian formation. I have to say that this is a very fun opening to play because it is for players of all styles. Some may argue with me about that but this is so solid, just by glancing at it really, and yet some tactical brilliancies have come out of this opening.

The Stonewall Variation is the pinnacle of solid chess openings. Black's pawn structure on c6, d5, e6, and f5 is very rigid and so it is a double edge. On one hand, if black can manage to get c8 bishop active, which tends to be easier said than done, then white has a long road to getting a win. On the other hand, if black does not manage to get the bishop active then they are effectively playing a piece down and white will have a serious advantage. Black can really only hope to get an equal position but then they face the same challenges as white if they wish to play for a win.

To sum it all up, solid chess openings are good but not for everyone. If you don't mind playing positional chess then you should maybe try one of these openings but if you are a more tactical player then you should not try to suppress who you are. Play the openings that are best for you and don't listen to anyone that says that a particular opening is the best because it is all about the way that you play and the opening that some grandmaster may or may not play is irrelevant to your progress as a chess player. I hope this has helped you gain some insight on the kind of openings that solid chess players use. Good luck and I wish you well on your quest to become a better chess player.

I agree with this list. My favorite is the Caro-Kann simply because it is played so seldom that many players don't know what to do against it, but the experienced Caro-Kanner has little difficulty choosing his moves. It's great for those days when you haven't had enough sleep or are otherwise under the weather, because the opening is a no-brainer. The second move never varies no matter what White plays, and many of the other moves are obvious. Caro-Kann is very secure against early attacks!

However the one downside to these systems is they are slow and difficult to achieve early victory if one's opponent makes a mistake.

Anyway, wonderful topic cuz you listed pretty well the characteristics of each opening.The fact of playing our favorite openings is really true, since I can't really afford, in any way, the dutch system. I always lose when I play that. Thanks for the topic and if you see my message please update the links.

there is no such thing as the 'best' opening however if you are asking what is the most popular opening against e4 then it is probably the sicilian najdorf then the french defense then the caro kan then e5 then pirc then alekhine then owens then modern than scandanavian the caro -kann is objectavley not the best opening at all